Blogging through Retirement with Mike Bellah, Ph.D.

Month: June 2016

Watching my second rainbow of the day and thinking of some lyrics by Don Wyrtzen. “When I was just a child I knew Why rain fell and flowers grew The I believe came easy then And I can still remember when” The words convict me. Because for most of the afternoon I’ve been filling out […]

Repacking, says Richard Leider and Alan Webber, is an essential step in getting ready for retirement or what they call a “life reimagined.” According to these authors, repacking means deciding what to keep and what to jettison for the years ahead. It’s “a practice that challenges you to lighten your load.” Makes me think of […]

Routine—I’ve had one all of my adult life. As a camp director, I knew breakfast was at 8:30, activities began at 10:00 and campfire happened at 9:00—every night. My college classes began at 7:30, lunch at 11:30 (12:00 noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays), then a nap, grading most of the afternoon, class at 6:00 p.m. […]

Watching the sunrise from the porch of our new “homeless shelter,” so grateful for little miracles: This place—isolated, spacious, great amenities, a mother-in-law’s addition that just happened to be mother-in-lawless; Generous friends—see above; Skilled craftsmen—met the trim carpenters yesterday; they seem both skilled and fast; An understanding and forgiving soulmate—when my frustration gets misdirected (see […]

Did you know Santa Fe was once part of Texas? Well, almost. In 1836 the new Republic of Texas claimed Santa Fe as part of its western border towns and soon sent a small military party to enforce the claim. This group was easily captured by the Mexican Army, putting an end to all hope […]

Did you know Santa Fe is the highest state capitol in the United States? Yep, at 7,000 feet, New Mexico’s capitol sits at the foot of the Sangre de Christo Mountains. Today, I’ll get a chance to climb one of them—the trail to 9,000’ Atalaya begins near St. John’s College on the city’s northeast side. […]

Did you know Santa Fe, New Mexico is the 2nd oldest capitol city in the U.S.? Yep, Santa Fe was established by Spanish missionaries in 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Today, the city has the oldest government seat, the oldest church and the oldest house in the U.S. Today, Charlotte […]

Saw an online link to summer camps for adults, and being an old camp director, I decided to investigate. There are adult camps on the beach, in the mountains, on rivers and by lakes where one can (pick one) surfboard, canoe, practice archery, kayak, fly-fish, zip-line, raft, mountain-bike, rock-climb or ride a horse. There’s even […]

One in three 20-somethings will move in any given year. But for the average 50-something, the ratio drops to one in 20. So says Sandra Rosenbloom of the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, who predicts that the great majority of retiring baby boomers will stay put in their present home. I think I know why. […]

“Inertia,” says Merriam-Webster, is “a property of matter by which it remains at rest or in uniform motion in the same straight line unless acted upon by some external force.” I’m planning to bookmark this for the next time Charlotte complains about how hard it is to rouse me from an afternoon nap. “Inertia, honey; […]